A BANK employee who shattered her ankle leaping 5ft from a low-level climbing wall in Guildford has won the right to compensation.

Louise Pinchbeck now walks with a limp following the accident during a team-building exercise at the Craggy Island indoor climbing centre in March 2008.

She can no longer take part in her favourite sports such as running, after breaking her right ankle when she "landed awkwardly" on crash matting.

The HBOS employee was descending the 12ft-high bouldering wall, which is designed to be tackled without ropes, when she jumped to the ground as her arms were becoming increasingly tired.

Last Thursday (March 15), London’s High Court heard that Ms Pinchbeck leapt from a height of 4-5ft, turning in mid-air as she did so and suffering compound ankle fractures upon landing.

Ms Pinchbeck, who lives in Cheam, was at the climbing centre with colleagues from Halifax/HBOS to take part in exercises designed to improve their effectiveness as a team within the bank.

The highly competitive 44-year-old was the senior member of the group, which had already participated in an hour-long roped tour of the centre’s 40ft-high climbing wall before negotiating the bouldering wall.

Ms Pinchbeck said she had received first-class supervision from the centre’s instructors while tackling the high-level climbing wall, but claimed she was given no proper briefing about the potential hazards of the bouldering wall.

She told the court she had the impression that it was almost like a play session to cool down from the rigours of the higher wall, disputing the instructors’ claims that she was specifically warned not to jump off.

Defence lawyers argued that Ms Pinchbeck, an insurance loss adjuster, should have been well aware of the need to avoid the unnecessary risk of jumping.

Ruling Craggy Island two-thirds responsible for the accident, Judge Patrick Curran QC said: “They were in breach of their own procedures and standards in failing to brief or warn her properly about jumping onto the crash mat.

“They failed to go through any drill with her as to the appropriate way to climb down.”

However, the judge said Ms Pinchbeck had to bear one-third responsibility for her injuries because she could have attempted to climb down or ask for help.

The amount of the damages payout has yet to be assessed. An emotional Ms Pinchbeck broke down in tears as she left court.